Sparks Fly
by LadyKnightOfHollyrose
Summary: “I would not have expected to find you here today of all days Naruto.” “I could say the same to you Hyuuga-sama.” NaruHina OneShot


**_Sparks Fly_**

**_Disclaimer:_** I don't own any of the characters from Naruto

_**Summary: **_"I would not have expected to find you here today of all days Naruto." "I could say the same to you _Hyuuga-sama_." NaruHina OneShot

Festivities had been held for the entire day, and those not on boarder patrol or on ANBU missions were able to spend their day with their loved ones.

The handing down of the prestigious title – Hokage – had always been a time of emotion, whether the villagers mourned the loss of the previous Hokage or commended the successor of the great responsibility.

The official ceremonies had quickly come to an end to give way to celebration – restaurants were open until late, owners happily serving into the night in honour of the new leader of the village. Fireworks could be heard in every corner of Konohagakure as its residents remembered their preceding leaders and discussed the hot topic of thoughts of their new one.

The Hokage himself had slipped away an hour or so after the formal service had been performed having spent some time with his friends and conversing with several of those he was now expected to lead and protect.

As he neared the edge of a clearing, his heavy footfalls slowed to a halt as he raised a brow in surprise – it seemed as though someone else had claimed that particular training field for their own. Upon closer inspection though, he recognised the other and approached the place where he had officially become a genin.

The one already occupying his sanctuary – seated with their back resting against one of the posts that he had been tied to so many years ago – turned to face him, eyes lighting with recognition instantly.

"Hyuuga-sama," he greeted gravely, respectfully inclining his head to the leader of the oldest clan in the village. The other returned the gesture, getting to their feet and murmuring, "Hokage-sama" with a bow of their own.  
They both seemed to sigh simultaneously causing them both to look up in surprise, before smiling at each other sheepishly.

"Hokage-sama-"  
"Just 'Naruto' is fine," he insisted as he descended to the floor choosing to lean against one of the free posts.  
Taking their original position on the floor, sinking down again, the Hyuuga Clan's leader relied with a meek "As you wish," before continuing, "I would not have expected to find you here today of all days Naruto."  
His reply was a lopsided grin and the retort of, "I could say the same to you _Hyuuga-sama_."  
His companion nodded agreeably, and they shared a comfortable silence, each absorbed in their own thoughts whilst observing the distant splashes of colour that adorned the night sky.

"Hey, Hinata…" Naruto said suddenly, eyes still turned up to watch the sparks dance across the sky.  
Said Hyuuga turned to regard him, humming to show that she had heard.  
"How are you finding being the Clan Head?" The question was a serious one; one that he asked from both his duty as the Hokage and from concern as a friend.

Hinata rested her head back against the post once more, her eyelids cloaking her pearly eyes for a moment before responding.  
"It goes well enough. The majority elders have accepted me as father had after the chunin exams," she began, sending a grateful smile in his direction – he of course waved it off with a smile of his own and a shake of his head. "Thos who oppose me keep in mind that I have Neji nii-san and Hanabi-chan by my side; they also cannot afford to offend the entire branch side of the family coupled with some of the other clan heads, but most importantly not the Hokage. Where they would have previously contradicted anything they thought wrong, they would now falter; they are not as confident to do as they please without my father at their head."

Naruto inclined his head in understanding; it was true that he had finally reached his lifelong dream by claiming the title of Rokudaime Hokage - he'd always believed that he would get there one day – but coming this far certainly hadn't been smooth sailing. Indeed, there were still a great number of obstacles that still stood in his way. Whilst his dynamic personality had not helped, the very fact that he had been the Kyuubi's vessel had more than hindered his chances of being widely accepted as leader – in the years of the Sandaime Hokage's return the very idea that Naruto should fulfil his ambitions was almost laughable.

But the Akatsuki had changed the village's perception of many things.

The pressure of war had forced many young shinobi of Konohagakure to mature; Naruto and Hinata among them. Hinata had managed to loose the habit of stuttering after the shock caused by the death of her father – to whom she'd grown close since the chunin exams – and the sudden impact of shouldering the responsibility of the entirety of the Hyuuga Clan had come to rest upon her shoulders as she solitarily lead them through the invasion, fully prepared to defend her family with her life just as her father before her had.  
Still demure and diplomatic, and shy of being exposed to large amounts of attention, Hyuuga Hinata was now known for her unwavering determination that became the strength of her clan; the insecurity and fragility that had once hindered her now only a shadow that followed her, telling of the past that had shaped her present.

Naruto too had matured; slightly less impulsive but equally passionate, he and learned when to hold his tongue (barely) and when to express his views; as well as the ability of working with those he did not necessarily approve of without resorting to rudeness. It always made him chuckle to think of his behaviour towards Tazuna the bridge builder when they had first met.  
With the daimyo of the Land of Fire, Koharu and Homura as his charges (all of whom had insisted that they most certainly did NOT need any protection) for the duration of the invasion, he had soon – though begrudgingly – gained their favour by putting his own life on the line to ensure that none of them were harmed. All four of them were kept from the main battle (for Naruto's sake as well as the others') they were still confronted by Amegakure shinobi before any of the Akatsuki had arrived. Sasuke had been intent upon the demise of the village's elders, though in actuality the only one to fall to the Uchiha had been Danzou.  
Of course the horrors of battle had caught up with Naruto, and he now understood the extent of the responsibilities of the Hokage in place of the previous, glamorised perception he had had. But this did not deter him from wanting to step up to the position.

Having gained trusted friends and comrades among shinobi and civilians alike, Naruto's drive to protect his village only became all the more stronger.

The Godaime, although alive, had suffered grievous injuries; after amassing many deep wounds she had proceeded to overextend herself both in fighting and in her attempts to heal. Overreaching her chakra supplies, including the amount stored behind the seal on her forehead, her chakra coils had become too fragile to use much chakra, though the amount that she now had at her disposal had decreased dramatically.  
Still, she had continued to lead the village, helping it rebuild itself once more whilst taking the decision to train the one chosen to be the next Hokage.

One Uzumaki Naruto.  
It had been a controversial verdict, and many had expressed problems with the appointment. But Naruto had allies too. Members of the rookie nine, now with some standing, some at the head of organisations or families after the war, had supported him. Some civilians whom he knew personally gladly vouched for him too.

His years under the Godaime's rigorous training had kept him in the public eye; more of the villagers were able to see that the Kyuubi container did just that – contained the Kyuubi. To most it was painfully obvious that Naruto was the one in charge; the Kyuubi would not be let loose upon them any time soon.

There were those who sill opposed him.  
But as the Godaime reminded him, "You will never please _everyone_, no matter how hard you try."

Hinata gazed up at the sky, a smile flitting across her features as a particularly loud, purple firework exploded across the sky, reminding her if a certain firecracker related to her. Closing her eyes for a moment she remarked, "The ceremonies today went relatively smoothly…"

Naruto found himself nodding absently to the statement, adding "…and now I am will officially be recognised as the Rokudaime Hokage. Who would have thought..?"

The wind almost carried the next words uttered away, and as they reached his ears, Naruto wasn't entirely sure that he had heard right.  
"I always believed that you would become Hokage." The quiet certainty in her tone caught Naruto unawares, and he couldn't help but stare at the woman seated beside him. He was acutely grateful for the shadows that concealed the colour that stained his cheeks. He opened his mouth, supposedly to reply, only to be cut off by her gentle voice again. She was still eyeing the sky when she spoke.  
"You could call it the beginning of a new age: with you as the Hokage, and me – the weak Hyuuga heir – as the Hyuuga Clan's head, we'll be a generation of surprises…"  
"Anyone who can call you weak must have knot holes for eyes." He stated bluntly. His phrasing reminded her of a time when he'd run around pulling pranks, endlessly being scolded by teachers. Still, the words themselves had her returning the wide eyed stare despite herself and regardless of any changes that she had undergone in the last few years, she still felt heat rise to her cheeks.

"Hinata-sama!" Despite recognising the owner of the voice, Hinata couldn't move. It was as though she was 12 again. "Hinata-sama, the elders request your presence to discuss matters pertaining to the scroll that you presented to them this morning…"  
Finally regaining control of her mind, she turned to regard the third who had entered the clearing, "Neji-nii… Since it would seem that the matter is not one of urgency, do you deem it appropriate to postpone this for tomorrow morning?"  
Neji nodded slowly; it was a reasonable suggestion. The darkness that had enveloped the sky clearly enhanced the sparks dancing across it, being as late as it was, and of course there was the fact that the day had been recognised as a holiday. He smirked at the two, turning on his heel, calling over his shoulder, "Enjoy the celebrations."

Left alone again, the Hyuuga Clan Head and the Rokudaime Hokage watched the remaining fireworks in silence. No more words were needed as they enjoyed each other's company as comrades, as friends because tomorrow they would surely slip back into their roles as the Hyuuga Head and the Hokage.  
Listening to the crackles of the rockets shooting up and the quieted celebrations, each pondered the other's words.

The pink firecracker that dominated the heavens wasn't solely responsible for the hue that bathed their features.

-Hollyrose-

A/N: Ah... This feels so rushed towards the end. Probably because it was rushed at the end. Oh well. This is this month's entry for "DateMe" for me (who have a profile here, and on DeviantArt - go check all the entries out!). So, my very fist NaruHina, and my first future fic! It ended up kinda AU since I started writing it at the beginning of the month, so it conflicts with the newest chapters of Naruto...  
Oh, and I just ended up sticking with the prompt as the title because I really can't think of anything else at the moment...

Despite the rushed ending (I blame it on Hinata straying from my original idea) I hope you enjoyed reading this!


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